Children are smarter sometimes
' Children are smarter sometimes' (Mama Loves Telephone) (ママ上は電話がお好きでござるの巻) is episode 245 of the 1981 Ninja Hattori-kun anime. Mrs Mitsuba spends half her time chatting on the phone with her friends. Hattori and the gang have to find a way to cure their matriarch's addiction! Synopsis It all starts at home, when Mrs Mitsuba is chatting on the phone to some anonymous friend. She hangs up, but the phone rings again. Mrs Mitsuba picks up and hears the voice of an annoyed Mr Mitsuba, who says that he's been trying to call her for the past half-an-hour, but the phone was engaged! Shortly afterwards, Kenichi arrives home, and accuses Mrs Mitsuba of being too involved to talk to her son, who is being bullied at school. He then lifts his fringe and reveals swear words written on his forehead, stating that it was a mark of the bullying. Later on, Hattori and Mrs Mitsuba are talking about Kenichi's bad mood. Hattori sides with Mrs Mitsuba (how outrageous!) and decides to talk Kenichi out of his temper. But when he goes to Kenichi's room, he finds Kenichi, Shinzo and Shishimaru huddled together, trying to think of a way to stop Mrs Mitsuba's addiction. Shinzo and Shishimaru cut the phone line, but they then cause problems - first, they are in hot water with Mrs Mitsuba, and then, she has to pay a lot of money for the phone's repair. Once the phone is repaired, it rings, and Kenichi picks it up, saying that Mrs Mitsuba isn't around - but she's standing right behind him. She gets the phone, then complains about what children are like these days. At this, Hattori becomes thoughtful, and checks who Mrs Mitsuba's talking to. After finding out, Hattori hops off to Mrs Mitsuba's friend's house. There he finds her young daughter, who is begging her mother for food. Her mother brusquely tells her to wait until she is done, and speak only when spoken to. Hattori, disgusted at this treatment, takes the young girl to the Mitsuba house. There, she plays with Kenichi, Shinzo and Shishimaru, who are told off by Mrs Mitsuba for making noise. She then comments on how kids behave in that age. The girl then asks Mrs Mitsuba for food. Mrs Mitsuba, startled, tells her mother that her daughter is at her place, and the mother, also shocked, asks if she can talk to her. Mrs Mitsuba then turns to find Kanzo, Kenichi, Shinzo and Shishimaru all glaring at her. Managing a nervous laugh, she sheepishly apologises. Later on, Hattori and Kenichi return the young girl to her mother, say their goodbyes, and set off for home. Hattori too has learnt a lesson not to side with Mrs Mitsuba too often, and tells the viewers that their parents can get carried away. Characters * Kanzo Hattori * Mrs Mitsuba * Kenichi Mitsuba * Mrs Mitsuba's friend * Mrs Mitsuba's friend's daughter * Shinzo Hattori * Shishimaru * Mr Mitsuba * Phone repair service Category:1981 anime episodes